Thurman Munson (person)

Catcher and Captain for the New York Yankees during the 1970's. He was named American League Rookie Of The Year in 1970. In the mid 1970's he was named Yankee captain by George Steinbrenner who felt that Munson's gritty style of play exemplified the team at that time. The last Yankee captain had been the legendary Lou Gehrig. He was a terrific clutch hitter as well as a great defensive catcher for the Bronx Bombers. Unfortunately, Munson was homesick much of the time and missed his family who lived near Akron, Ohio. This prompted him to take flying lessons. On August 2, 1979 Munson was killed in a plane crash at the Akron airport as he was on his way back to rejoin the Yankees in New York for a series against the Baltimore Orioles. Although a great player, because of his brief tenure he has not really been considered for the Hall Of Fame. The Yankees retired his uniform number 15 after his premature death.